Photo via @Canes on Twitter/X
By Spencer Knight – @stormsurge_pod / stormsurgepod.com
July 1, 2024
This page will be updated throughout the day as news comes in
After yesterday’s trade of Guentzel’s signing rights to Tampa, the Canes off-season plans are murkier than ever. Heading into the draft on Friday, we all thought Necas would be traded and Guentzel extended by now. Instead Guentzel has been traded (and now extended by Tampa) and Necas remains. So much off-season energy has been spent on those 2 players with no resolution. Free Agency opens in about 2 hours, so let’s get caught up on what has happened and what to watch for.
- May 19, 2024 – Rod Brind’Amour signs multi-year extension to remain head coach of the Hurricanes
- May 24, 2024 – Don Waddell resigns as Hurricanes GM, with Eric Tulsky named Interim GM
- May 29, 2024 – First extension of the off-season, as Ryan Suzuki signs a 1 year, 2 way deal
- June 14, 2024 – Jalen Chatfield signs 3 year, $3 million per year extension
- June 18, 2024 – After over 3 weeks, Canes drop the “Interim” tag and make Eric Tulsky permanent GM
- June 21, 2024 – Ty Smith signs 1 year, 2 way extension
- June 28-29, 2024 – Hurricanes make 10 selections in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas
- June 30, 2024 – Hurricanes trade the signing rights of Jake Guentzel to Tampa Bay for a 2025 3rd round pick
- July 1, 2024 – Hurricanes sign Eric Robinson to a 1 year, $950k deal
- July 1, 2024 – Jordan Martinook resigns for 3 years, $3.05 million
- July 1, 2024 – Hurricanes sign William Carrier for 6 years, $2 million per year
- July 1, 2024 – Hurricanes sign Tyson Jost to a 1 year, $775k contract
- July 1, 2024 – Hurricanes sign Sean Walker 5 years, $3.6 million per year
- July 1, 2024 – Hurricanes sign Shayne Gostisbehere 3 years, $3.2 million per year
Calm Before the Storm
So much of the attention, both from fans and the front office, has been on Guentzel and Necas. Now that Guentzel is gone, it’s fair to wonder if more attention should have been paid to other UFAs. It appears that Pesce, Skjei, and Teravainen are all on their way out. No word on Noesen or Martinook at this point, but wouldn’t be surprised to see them gone too.
So where do the Canes go from here? Assuming all the RFAs stay with the team, the Canes have 8 forwards and 4 defenseman that got regular playing time last year under contract. Some obvious holes are 3rd pair left defense and another top 6 winger. If Necas is on the move, a second top 6 forward would be needed. After that it’s just filling out a few depth pieces and taking care of unsigned draftees.
Some names I’d be interested in keeping an eye on today include Marchessault and Stamkos as big name wingers we could look at. Jake Debrusk is another middle 6 winger to watch. It’s hard to say what may happen at left defense, but Edmondson or Schmidt could make sense as more veteran guys, or Boqvist or Bean if we wanted a younger option.
Slavin Staying Home
At noon today, the Canes and Jaccob Slavin will be holding a press conference at PNC Arena as his new 8 year extension is announced. The extension will begin in the 2025-26 season and, per Frank Seravalli, will carry a $6.34 million cap hit.
UPDATE: As of 12:05pm today, Slavin signed an 8 year, $51.69 million extension (just over $6.46 million per year).
Drafted 120th overall in the 4th round of the 2012 draft, Slavin has been a fixture on the backend since his NHL debut in 2015. He has played in 665 NHL games with the Canes and another 71 playoff games. The 2-time Lady Bing Trophy winner has just 86 penalty minutes in his regular season career and is consistently matched against other team’s top lines. A career rating of +151, especially as a defensive defenseman, highlights just how solid he is defensively.
Likely the next captain following Jordan Staal’s eventual retirement, this deal will ensure Slavin remains a Cane for life (as he should be).
Leadership Corps Intact
Just before noon, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Hurricanes re-signed Jordan Martinook to a 3 year, $3.05 million extension. This is a big raise over the $1.8 million he’s made over the past 3 years. After 3 years of 15 or fewer points per season, Martinook’s offense exploded with 34 points in 2022-23 and another 32 this past season.
Still just 31-years-old, Martinook has a lot left in the tank and is a key member of the Hurricanes leadership team. Of the UFAs coming off the Canes roster from last season, Martinook was certainly one of the top targets to retain. This extension keeps him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Six Years for Carrier
The Hurricanes signed William Carrier to a 6 year, $2 million per year contract today. The 29-year-old left winger has played 413 career games and has spent the last 7 seasons in Vegas after being claimed in the expansion draft. While he’s not known for scoring, with a career high of just 25 points, he’s an analytical darling as a 4th liner. He can drive play at both ends of the ice and create scoring chances, despite being a subpar finisher.
Filling Out the Backend
The Canes finished filling out their backend Monday by signing Sean Walker to a 5 year, $18 million contract. The 29-year-old broke into the league with Los Angeles in the 2018-19 season, playing in 39 games for them. He stayed in LA up until last season when he was dealt to Philly in the off-season. He was then acquired by the Avalanche at the trade deadline this year. The right shot defenseman is a solid 3rd pair defenseman who is also capable on the penalty kill. He had a career high 29 points this season between Philly and Colorado, and will be a solid partner on the 3rd pairing.
Speaking of the 3rd pairing, the Canes today brought back Shayne Gostisbehere on a 3 year, $3.2 million per year contract. He previously played 23 regular season and 15 playoff games with the Hurricanes after being dealt from Arizona at the 2023 trade deadline. While he wasn’t an obvious fit, scoring 10 points in 23 games (a 36 point pace over 82 games), the Canes defensive system is tough to learn in just a couple months (see Orlov this season). With a little more familiarity and a full training camp to play with the group, I expect good things from the Ghost Bear this year.
Check out more articles here while you wait for more free agent news!
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